Shed A Tear For Jeff Reed
By chris
The Pittsburgh Steelers have some unhappy training campers over at St. Vincent’s. The team which refuses to negotiate contracts during the season has decreed all off-season contract discussions have officially ended.
This is interesting because several important players are in the final year of their deals. Ike Taylor, the only corner on the Steelers who doesn’t attempt to cover receivers by giving them a five yard cushion, hasn’t griped. Linebacker LaMarr Woodley has. In fact, he’s been quite upfront with his displeasure over not getting a new deal. Although I usually trust Kevin Colbert and company, I do not like hearing that Mr. Woodley is upset. If I were the Steelers, I’d present him one of those big ass Publishers Clearinghouse checks in whatever dollar amount he wants.
Another pending free agent who’s not too happy is kicker Jeff Reed.
Reed, you see, was a free agent this summer. The team tagged him as their Franchise Player meaning he was obligated to play for them this season for the average salary of the top 5 players at his position. In 2010, that amounts to $2.8 million.
But Skippy is not pleased about this situation. Yes, being paid almost three million bucks to kick an oblong ball through two upright sticks would make most people happy. But Jeff feels he’s been lied to, mislead, taken advantage of, hornswoggled, and bamboozled.
Forget about the oil spill in the Gulf, why isn’t President Obama doing anything about the human rights violations taking place in Latrobe? This is a travesty of the highest order! If we allow kickers to be mistreated in such a heinous manner, where will these sickening abuses end? Who’s next? Punters?
“I’m really disappointed … extremely … little bit bitter,” said our courageous kicker in this article published in the Post-Gazette. I would be disappointed too! How can people call the Rooneys honorable owners? Why they’re modern day slave drivers if you ask me.
Poor Skippy has to go out there every day in his Bermuda shorts and kick a half dozen or so footballs and then drink some Gatorade. It’s hot out there! And then during the season he kicks even more, during actual game situations! That’s stressful let me tell you. And then there are the kickoffs! Sure they only travel about 40 yards but he has to actually RUN up to the ball! He’s also expected to run across the field to make a tackle if the return man escapes containment. But physical contact isn’t really Skippy’s job. He saves that for towel dispensers and the groupies he meets down at the Strip.
Tackling is for those stupid “football players” to do. He’s perfectly content to run in the opposite direction once the ball is in the air. Who would kick field goals if some horrific injury, such as an ingrown toenail, were to befall him? Casey Hampton? Jeff Reed is a kicker, man! 83.3% lifetime you know!
For all this backbreaking work the Steelers have THE NERVE to only pay him three million dollars?
Let’s all shed a tear for Skippy.